2.
0 LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review serves as a foundational exploration of existing knowledge and research in the
field of smart ergonomic chairs. This chapter aims to provide insights into the current state of
ergonomic furniture design, technological advancements, and relevant studies that inform the
development of the proposed smart ergonomic chair.
2.1 Smart Ergonomic Chair
The Smart Ergonomic Chair is a cutting-edge seating solution designed to prioritize user comfort,
health, and productivity in the modern workplace. This design aligns with the principles of
ergonomic furniture, emphasizing the importance of adapting workplace environments to human
needs (ISO 9241-210).
2.1.1 Dynamic Lumbar Support System
The chair integrates a dynamic lumbar support system that adapts to the user's movements,
providing continuous support for the lower back. McGill's research on biomechanics of the spine
emphasizes the significance of proper lumbar support for minimizing spinal stress (McGill, 1997).
2.1.2 Adaptive Contouring Technology
Advanced adaptive contouring technology conforms the chair's design to the natural curvature of
the spine, enhancing overall comfort. Research by O'Sullivan et al. (2006) underscores the
importance of supporting the natural spinal curvature for maintaining proper posture.
2.1.3 Smart Sensors for Posture Feedback
Incorporation of smart sensors provides real-time feedback on user posture, enabling immediate
adjustments and promoting healthier sitting habits (O'Sullivan et al., 2006). Immediate feedback
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mechanisms align with ergonomic research advocating for enhanced user awareness and improved
posture.
2.1.4 Variable Intensity Levels for Customization
The chair offers multiple intensity levels for various ergonomic features, allowing users to
customize settings based on personal preferences. Kumar's research on ergonomic design
principles emphasizes the need for customizable support to accommodate individual comfort
requirements (Kumar, 2016).
2.1.5 Wireless Connectivity and Smart Controls
The chair is equipped with wireless connectivity and smart controls, enabling users to adjust
settings seamlessly through mobile apps or office automation systems. This design choice aligns
with the evolving workplace trends and the integration of smart technology in office furniture
(Hedge et al., 2004).
2.1.6 Health Monitoring Integration
Integration with health monitoring features, such as tracking sitting durations and suggesting
breaks, contributes to a holistic approach to user well-being (Hedge et al., 2004). Monitoring user
health aligns with the growing emphasis on wellness in ergonomic furniture design.
2.1.7 Energy-Efficient Design
The chair incorporates energy-efficient components for smart features, ensuring responsible
energy use and sustainability. This approach aligns with the global push towards eco-friendly
practices in product design and manufacturing.
2.1.8 Material Innovation for Comfort and Sustainability
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Innovative and sustainable materials are used in the chair's construction, focusing on durability,
comfort, and environmental responsibility. Considerations for sustainable materials align with the
broader industry shift towards eco-conscious design.
2.1.9 Continuous Improvement Feedback Loop
The design establishes a feedback loop for continuous improvement, incorporating user feedback
into the evolution of the chair over time (ISO 9241-210). User-centered design principles ensure
that the chair remains responsive to changing user needs and preferences.
2.2 Lumbar Support System
The Smart Ergonomic Chair is engineered with a sophisticated lumbar support system aimed at
promoting user comfort and spinal health and it incorporates an advanced lumbar support system
that dynamically adjusts based on the user's movements. Adaptable to individual preferences,
providing optimal support for varying body types. This design aligns with the research of McGill
(1997), emphasizing the significance of lumbar lordosis support in minimizing spinal stress.
The lumbar support system dynamically adjusts in response to the user's movements, ensuring
continuous and adaptive support. This dynamic approach is supported by studies such as Hignett
(2003), emphasizing the importance of dynamic support to accommodate changing postures and
reduce discomfort.
2.2.1 Characteristics
1. Adaptive Contouring: Utilizes adaptive contouring technology to conform to the natural
curvature of the user's spine. Promotes healthy spinal alignment, reducing the likelihood of
discomfort or pain during extended periods of sitting.
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2. Variable Intensity Levels:Provides multiple intensity levels for lumbar support, allowing users
to customize the level of support based on personal preferences and comfort needs. Enables a
tailored experience for users with different lumbar support requirements.
3. Real-time Feedback: Incorporates sensors that provide real-time feedback on lumbar support
effectiveness. Users receive notifications or adjustments based on their posture, encouraging a
more ergonomic sitting position.
4. Memory Functionality: Includes a memory function to store preferred lumbar support settings.
Users can easily return to their personalized settings after sharing the chair with others or after
adjustments.
5. Responsive to User Weight Distribution: The system takes into account variations in user
weight distribution while sitting. Adjustments respond dynamically to changes, ensuring
consistent lumbar support irrespective of the user's body type.
6. User Profile Recognition: Incorporates user profile recognition to adapt lumbar support based
on individual users. Recognizes different users and adjusts the lumbar support system to their
preferred settings automatically.
7. Quiet and Smooth Operation: Designed for quiet and smooth operation to enhance the overall
user experience. The adjustment mechanisms operate seamlessly, avoiding disruptions in the
workplace environment.
8. Health Monitoring Integration: Integrates with health monitoring features to assess the impact
of lumbar support on user well-being. Contributes to a holistic approach by considering the health
implications of prolonged sitting.
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9. Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement: Establishes a feedback loop where user
interactions with the lumbar support system contribute to ongoing improvements. Enables the
chair to evolve and adapt to user needs over time.
2.3 Evolution of Ergonomic Furniture Design
Ergonomic furniture design has undergone significant evolution, from early rudimentary chairs to
sophisticated solutions aimed at enhancing user comfort and well-being. Historical perspectives on
ergonomic principles lay the groundwork for understanding the trajectory of furniture design and
the need for adaptive solutions in contemporary settings (Miller, 2015).
Advancements in sensor technologies, actuation mechanisms, and connectivity have
revolutionized the capabilities of ergonomic furniture. Smart chairs equipped with sensors to
monitor posture, pressure points, and user movement, coupled with actuators for dynamic
adjustments, exemplify the integration of technology into the ergonomic landscape (Wang, et al.,
2019).
User-centered design principles emphasize the importance of understanding user needs,
preferences, and behaviors in creating effective and desirable products. Incorporating these
principles into the development of smart ergonomic chairs ensures that the final product aligns with
the diverse requirements of users in various contexts (Norman, 1993).
A comprehensive understanding of the health implications of prolonged sitting is crucial for
designing ergonomic solutions that mitigate associated risks. Research exploring the effects on
musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular function, and overall well-being provides essential insights
for the development of chairs that prioritize user health (Smith, 2021).
The implementation of intelligent control systems adds a layer of sophistication to smart ergonomic
chairs. These systems leverage data from sensors to autonomously or user-controlledly adjust chair
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settings, providing real-time comfort and support. The effectiveness of such systems in enhancing
user experience will be a focal point in the development of the proposed chair (Chen, et al., 2020).
2.4 Design and Analytics of Smart Posture Monitoring System
The use of sensors and advanced technology has presented various benefits on the products used
by the people. A smart chair is one product that can help monitor the posture of the user, and give
necessary feedback to initiate appropriate recourse. There have been various attempts at designing
sensor based smart chairs.
Zazula, et al. (2015), proposed an embedded system of sensors and micro controllers, to develop a
posture detection and monitoring system. The prototype consists of a series of custom designed
sensors, an Arduino in the form of the central micro controller, a Bluetooth module to serve as the
communication medium deployed on a chair. The sensors are used for judging the tilt and
pressure, applied due to the force of the user on the chair. The data is collected in periodic
intervals, and is synced in a mobile application through the iBeacon and Bluetooth communication
modules. By seeing this intimation, the user can correct his/her posture. Further, the system
consumes low-power, and can be used to understand the user’s sitting habit, promoting a better
physical growth, and derivation of medical information.
Huang, et al. (2017), proposed a system that consists of sensors that are rather unobtrusive. The
system consists of a series of capacitors placed on the chair and the backrest. The armrests are
composed of photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensors deployed along electrodes, to further gather
PPG and ECG data. The Pulse Transit Time (PTT) was then calculated, as a difference between
the ECG Crests and PPG Troughs. The system aimed to develop a relation between the PTTs
obtained, and the corresponding blood pressure. Various best-fit models were designed that helped
in the mapping of the PTT to the Blood Pressure, and it was observed that the models were
accurate for the diastolic pressures, while not so accurate for Systolic Pressures.
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Roossien, et al. (2017), proposed a non-invasive posture detecting and monitoring system.
Initially, a set of 8 sitting postures are defined, and fed into the software for developing neural
networks to detect various postures. A piezo-resistive sensor is placed on the seat of the chair, to
sense the changes in pressure among different postures. The authors use the MATLAB software
for the training of neural networks. It was observed that the system was able to detect the different
postures with high accuracy.
Lavanya, et al. (2018), conducted extensive research to understand if a smart chair could
potentially improve the sitting behaviour of office workers. The authors in this paper try to
validate the benefits that a smart chair offers and the feedback intimations provided by smart
chairs, to muscular pain and sitting postures. The study involved 45 workers of an office,
subjected to the effects of the smart chair. The 20 week period of study consisted of workers
initially being acclimatized to the smart chair and receiving tactile feedback, followed by a period
without feedback. This was iteratively performed. The results were measured in the form of
average resting duration, muscular discomfort, and correspond posture. The study demonstrated
that smart chairs can be used for monitoring the sitting behaviours, however the feedback signal
was not of much significance.
Liu (2021), developed an embedded health monitoring system deployed on a chair. The user
sitting on the smart chair, can observe vital health monitoring metrics including pulse rate, blood
pressure, temperature, and weight, in real time. The data can also be transmitted to a medical
professional for monitoring and initiating any treatment if found necessary. The system uses a
WiFi and GSM module to render periodic suggestions to the user. The system uses fog computing
to transmit data and provide notifications. The authors also demonstrate the use of an encryption
algorithm in the system, “Signcryption”, which consists of a combination of Encryption and Data
Signatures, to ensure better privacy and prevent data theft.
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Jeong and Park (2021), proposed an intelligent office chair that consists of a combination of visual
and vibrotactile feedbacks. It was evident that vibrotactile feedback was an efficient method to
alert the user about an incorrect posture, when detected. However, vibrotactile feedback is unable
to guide users to the appropriate sitting postures. On the other hand, visual feedback, was an
efficient method to instruct users to maintain the right sitting posture, but it was often disregarded.
This shows that both by themselves do not have enough significance, but when used in unison, can
produce significant results. In this system, pressure sensor pads are placed on the seat and the
backrest. The system initially is trained using the MATLAB Neural Network toolbox, to detect
various sitting postures. Based on predefined conditions, when a user sits longer than a threshold
in the same position, a notification is sent to the mobile, as a part of visual feedback. At the same
time, vibrational actuators placed on the smart chair, help in alerting the user in the form of
vibrotactile feedback.
Daniele, et al. (2019), designed an embedded system consisting of infrared distance and pressure
sensors, to facilitate the classification of the user’s postures. The system uses seatback distance
sensors, distinguishing it from previous systems in this regard. The pressure sensors are placed on
the seat, to further gather data about the user’s postures. The system, through using a blend of
mixed sensors was found to have achieved a high accuracy in analysing the ergonomics of the
chair.
Flutur, et al. (2019), proposed the uses of pressure sensors on the seating face and the backrest.
The author uses multiple analog tactile sensors (ATS) to detect and classify the posture of the user.
The authors use the Stroop test to validate their system, and prove the benefits in the form of
improved cognitive engagement.
Kazuhiro, et al. (2008), used the CC3200 as the central microcontroller, embedded with pressure
sensors. The frequency obtained, is further transmitted to the Google cloud, using a suitable WiFi
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module, for further processing and data visualization. The authors create a web user interface and
a mobile application to facilitate interaction at the client side.
2.5 Design and Implementation of a Smart Chair System for IoT
In contrast, since power consumption is a very important issue in IoT systems (Jean, et al. 2016
and Ahmed, et al. 2016), our system uses switches and buttons to operate with lower power
consumption .Similar to this study, another research analyzed user’s sitting posture using a Smart
Chair (Li and Aissaoui, 2006). They tried to measure user’s sitting posture through sensing
motions and states of a waist and pelvis, but they did not give provisions for providing
additional services such as correcting user’s posture. In this Study,work, a Smart Ergonomic
Chair which supplements this limitation makes users sit correctly with recognition of their own
current state
2.6 Summary of Literature
There are a few prior work that combines a chair with the IoT technology. The work in Liu
(2021) and Jeong and Park (2021) study Smart Chair system which measures user’s
pulse or blood pressure automatically while sitting on a chair. However, This Study
differs with those since the aim is to help user by correcting their posture, not by pulse or
blood pressure. In addition,previous studies can transmit and receive data only through one-to-
one connection to a single device. This Study therefore, is set to design a smart ergonomic chair
that detect the sitting posture and moves with the directives given to it by the person sited on it.
This include up-down movement, back tilting, elbow rest extension and rotation of the sit.
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